The Heart of War
by Devil with those Angel Wings
Summary: Ayx ran from home, if you could call Mt Olypmus home, to find she is needed more than ever. Dreams of the world ending torment her and her new friends may not be as human as they seem.
1. We're So Starving

**Chapter 1: We're so Starving**

"Come on A, just one war? That's all we're asking sis, please?" I knew it pained them to say please but that did not stop me from saying no, again. My father, Ares, walked over to us (walked may not be the right word perhaps floated) took one look at my brothers, Fear and Terror, before turning to me with a look as if I was a pegasus in a field of horses. Ares spoke to me mentally, but I knew my brothers could hear, 'You just love to shame me, don't you Ayx? You could never be like Phobos or Demios because you know it would make me happy and you would never want your father happy.' These conversations were a daily occurrence and they just set about to make me more disobedient. All my brothers and father had wanted since I was two and beat them all in a sword fight, was for me to fight with them at that time my mother stopped them because, and I quote, "Fighting would make Ayx ugly" no child of Aphrodite could be ugly, especially a girl. That was when I decided that I would leave them all, there was just little more reason for it till this day.

"I'm going-," I yelled to the large empty home before whispering to myself "As if anyone cares" My human self was my only escape from my family. Time had changed since I last left mount Olympus but the transformation was as easy as ever. The sun was warm on my skin and my camouflage a worn leather jacket, jeans and a t-shirt, I looked down to see myself sitting on a motorcycle and I laughed, a strangely childlike noise, at the slogan on my shirt 'Really? "Strangers have the best candy"?' I thought as I revved my bike gliding off into the distance

Dad just doesn't like that I'm nice, aren't parents meant encourage you to be caring, sweet and never say a bad word. I'm sure I must have the oddest family in the entire world by hey who can compete with gods. I think that the thing dad has a problem with is that I'm the best fighter, I mean he's fine with Harmonia being nice but me, nope can't happen. All my life it's been drilled into me "Don't be nice, fight with you brothers" Each day always has me telling Ares "No I'm not going to start a war with you." Actually I think that Aphrodite is worse she's always telling me to wear dresses, do my hair and gossip about boys. Sometimes I swear my mother is thirteen years old. Either her or the boys, Phobos and Demios they were always coming up with ways to scare me but it wasn't working, until this century. They decided that if nothing they tried worked that something in the mortal realm would then came the cars, technology and still nothing worked then came the... clowns. Not sure why I had seen the horror of war and I was afraid of clowns? Really? My disbelief didn't stop them from torturing me whenever possible. The statues suddenly were painted, the paintings themselves were disfigured. My personal favourite, I think I would have been proud of them if they weren't doing it to scare me, has to be when the called a party and managed to get everyone, I mean everyone, dressed as clowns. It sure is a day when you see the Greek gods dressed as clowns.

After all that my transference into human life away from my family was simple. As a goddess I had my temples, my hide-aways, unknown to my siblings and parents. The hide-a-way was closer, Athens was a large place in any time, and it was fully stocked with anything necessary to live, the near by nymphs promised to keep me hidden but as anyone would, I got lonely.

I changed my camouflage, raven black hair, grey eyes, tank top and short shorts, and got onto my bike. The trip into the city was fast, my speeding helped, and soon I was at a club called Hell Entwined. The club was a popular place but being Aphrodite's daughter seemed to help getting in quick, inside my eyes were drawn to a group of girls in the center of the room, it seemed I was not the only one many were staring at them, the main girl, a white blonde, very pale sort of girl, reminded me of my mother but was almost more beautiful but for this girls sake I would never say that out loud, the others were quite regular except one, a tall brunette, her long hair and green almost tunic style dress made her nymph like.

A man came up to me, very drunk, and just started talking, I told him I had to do something, he kept talking the only thing that worked was when, in the middle of his speech about robots (or monkeys or both), I interrupted, "I'm really very sorry but I just spotted my friend and I really have to go." I quickly went over to the girls in the middle and hugged the blonde as if she was an old friend, she stiffened, surprised and I whispered, "Sorry but this guy kept following me and I didn't know what to do." She brushed it off with a laugh, "I'm Cherry," she said it as if it was her real name, "and that's fine I get it. Dance with us?" "X and sure." Cherry looked confused momentarily, "X?" I laughed, "Its my name." She had a look of amazement on her face as she said, "Oh, I get it."

Dancing was something new to me, sure we had parties back home but they were normal, except when Dionysus went a little over board with the wine and madness, and this music seemed to pulse not glide like Apollo's. From the looks of everyone else it was simple, let your body flow with the pulsing music; I closed my eyes and let the sensations over take me. The slow steady rhythm, the lyrics that flowed like a stream and that under lying beat had my body moving in intricate shapes and patterns unknown to me. The song was over to fast and I opened my eyes to see majority of the club staring at me, I ducked my face beneath my hair, embarrassed, as Cherry and the girls walked over. "Where did you learn to do that?" the nymph like girl asked, the rest nodding in agreement "I've never danced before in my life." I stated still a little ashamed of my display, Cherry came to the front "How the hell not? James is right, that was amazing!" I nodded "James?" "Oh yeah introductions. Everyone this is X, X this is Bonde," Cherry pointed to the nymph, " We call her James, for obvious reasons. That's Eliza, Em, Rach and that guy in the corner surrounded by jackets that's Tyson. Drinks anyone?" Everyone wandered over to the bar. There I learnt that the girls were all nineteen, the age I clamed to be, and they all got very chatty when drunk. I think I know more about those girls than I know about myself.

My ride 'home' was longer due to a detour; my temples are few and far between but I found one. All gods and goddesses have their 'thing'- for my mother its love, for my father its war- I do not so my temples became a place for the 'unknowns', those who felt they don't have a place in the world. That was how I always felt and this day was no different. Sitting in front of my statue brought back memories, training with Athena to learn strategy, battling with my brothers, sitting for hours on end a garden with Harmonia. Life seemed somewhat simpler when I had problems now that I did not, well I didn't know what to do with myself.

I was broken out of my trance by a clash, which caused me to remember that a) I was still in visible human form and b) I was out of the nymph's range of protection. 'Note to self, always tell nymphs when going clubbing' I thought as I saw the god before me "Well, well little war I see your not that hard to find." "Nice to know people are looking for me Hermes. But why did they send you?" I pointed in turns upwards then at the messenger god himself, he shrugged "Don't worry, little war, no one cares your gone. Big war just got himself into some trouble but you know your dad, he'll get out of it. Hey all is normal, Big Guy blames this war on you, as usual." That was my cue to shrug, Zeus always liked to blame 'the newbie' for every little war my father and siblings started, I was used to it. "Was there a reason you flew down or did you just want to tell me the good news, Messenger man?" "A little of everything, niece, I was bored and everyone was complaining that they couldn't find you so I went, hey what the heck lets find me a little war."

We talked for hours, sometimes about the trouble we got up to playing pranks on everyone, others about my idiot brothers and what they've been up to. Hermes always was my favorite uncle, he'd take me out and distract everyone while I stole something for him and unlike with others he all ways took to blame. My messenger man always helped me get back at Fear and Terror when the played another clown joke. Everyone else treated me like a child, a baby; to them I was worse than a human. Not having a 'thing' meant I didn't have the special powers so to them all I was worthless, but not Hermes or Athena they thought if they taught me I could have some kind of worth.

The rest of that evening was a blur except when his snakes told him that 'The Big Guy' needed him to take a message somewhere or something like that as he went to leave I ran to him "I'll miss you, my messenger man." I said clinging to Hermes in a hug, he chuckled "I'll miss you too, little war." He ruffled my hair and I grinned at him before he flew back to Mt Olympus. The only thought running through my head, as the wind flapped around me on my ride back was that I felt lonelier now than before. _I'm so sorry I've been gone._

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**So, this was a b'day present for my friend and was really fun to write. I thought it would be fun to post up here and see what people think. Through the next couple of chapters I want to see if anyone notices the chapter names, if so they can get a character, name a chapter or request something to happen.**

**Love Lili-Roze**

**ps. try and figure out the italics too.  
**


	2. Her Words Destroyed My Planet

**Chapter Two: Her Words Destroyed My Planet**

The next morning I got a call from Cherry, I had almost forgot we swapped phone numbers, asking if I could show her around Athens.

"Its just that I'm new here and you seemed to know some stuff so could you, please?

"Okay. I think that's fine." I was hesitant, I mean its had been centuries since I was last there I wasn't sure if I knew where anything was anymore.

Turns out I wasn't that helpful the only places I knew about were the temples. Then I found out Cherry didn't know Greek mythology.

"I just never got around to it, I always wanted to. Do you know any X?" I nodded, Cherry clapped her hand excitedly "Tell, tell." I sat on a nearby bench and did I what I did best, told a story.

_I stall before I start._ "In the beginning there was only chaos. Then out of the void appeared Erebus, the unknown place where death dwells, and Nyx, the night. All else was empty, silent, endless, darkness. Then somehow Love was born bringing a start of order. From Love came Light and Day. Once there was Light and Day, Gaea, the earth appeared." Cherry was fascinated and I mentally thanked Athena for telling me the old stories.

"Then Erebus slept with Nyx, who gave birth to Ether, the heavenly light, and to the Day the earthly light. Then Nyx alone produced Doom, Fate, Death, Sleep, Dreams, Nemesis and others that come to man out of darkness.

Meanwhile Gaea alone gave birth to Uranus, the heavens. Uranus became Gaea's mate covering her on all sides. Together they produced the three Cyclopes, the three Hecatoncheires and twelve Titans."

I suddenly missed my family but tried to continue on unaffected "However, Uranus was a bad father and husband. He hated the Hecatoncheires so he imprisoned them by pushing them into the hidden places of the earth, Gaea's womb. This angered her greatly and she plotted against Uranus. She made a flint sickle and tried to get her children to attack their father. All were too afraid except, the youngest Titan, Kronos.

Gaea and Kronos set up an ambush of Uranus as he lay with Gaea at night. Kronos grabbed his father and castrated him, with the stone sickle, throwing a small-severed part of him into the ocean. The fate of Uranus is not clear. He either died, withdrew from the earth or exiled himself to Italy. As he departed he promised that all Titans would be punished. From his split blood came the Giants, the Ash Tree Nymphs and the Erinnyes. From the sea foam in which the small severed part landed came Aphrodite." I stifled a laugh at that; my mother always was odd for a reason.

"Kronos became the next ruler. He imprisoned the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires in Tartarus. He married his sister Rhea and under his rule the Titans had many children. He ruled for many ages however, Gaea and Uranus both had prophesied that a son would overthrow him. To avoid this Kronos swallowed each of his children after they were born. Rhea was angry at the treatment of the children and, like her mother before her, plotted against her husband. When it was time to give birth to her sixth child, Rhea hid herself, and then she left the child to be raised by nymphs. To conceal her act she wrapped a stone in swaddling cloths and passed it off as the baby to Kronos, who swallowed it."

"This child was Zeus. He grew to a youth on Crete. He consulted Metis on how to defeat Kronos. She prepared a drink for Kronos designed to make him vomit up the other children. Rhea convinced Kronos to accept his son and Zeus was allowed to return to Mount Olympus as Kronos' cupbearer. This worked as planned and the other five children were vomited up. Being gods they were unharmed. They were thankful to Zeus and made him their leader. " Cherry interrupted "They've got some pretty crummy dads up there." I laughed in agreement and she motioned to continue my story.

"Kronos was yet to be defeated. He and the Titans, except Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Oceanus, fought to retain their power. Atlas became their leader in battle and it looked for some time as though they would win and put the young gods down. However, Zeus was cunning. He went down to Tartarus and freed the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires. Prometheus joined Zeus as well. He returned to battle with his new allies. The Cyclopes provided Zeus with lighting bolts for weapons. The Hecatoncheires he set in ambush armed with boulders. With the time right, Zeus retreated drawing the Titans into the Hecatoncheires' ambush. The Hecatoncheires rained down hundreds of boulders with such a fury the Titans thought the mountains were falling on them. They broke and ran giving Zeus victory.

Zeus exiled the Titans who had fought against him into Tartarus. Except for Atlas, who was singled out for the special punishment of holding the world on his shoulders.

However, even after this victory Zeus was not safe. Gaea angry that her children had been imprisoned gave birth to a last offspring, Typhoeus. Typhoeus was so fearsome that most of the gods fled. However, Zeus faced the monster and flinging his lighting bolts was able to kill it. Typhoeus was buried under Mount Etna in Sicily. "

By the end of my family tale I was in silent tears, I didn't even notice them until Cherry passed me a tissue. "I'm fine I just… I miss my family. I'm sorry I've got to go."

I ran to Athena's temple 'My humble Goddess, I ask for wisdom and guidance so that I may be lead from war.' I spoke our secret prayer mentally before I was graced with the shining light that is my aunt "Athena I missed you." I ran to hug her "Ayx, you never have to be lead from war just treat it like a new piece of wisdom not like a new scar." I spoke with her as she said, "A battle is not a battle it is a story, a wonder of strategy waiting to be born."

"How is home?" I was unsure if Hermes was serious about father last time and I knew my aunt would not lie to me, or at least I thought she would not, "Everything is fine, all is as it should be. Now are you reading, still training?"

Our conversation became about as many trivial things as Athena could think of, which, being the goddess of wisdom, is a lot. The night trailed on and as cliché as it is, seconds became minutes, minutes became hours and it was time to leave because apparently Dionysus was throwing another 'wine and madness party'.

No matter how convincing the lies she told me were that night when I went to sleep I had nightmares of a war to end all wars and the sky falling. Her words destroyed my planet.

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**AN: So this chapter is odd, and may seem boring with the myths but the friend it was written for didn't know them and they are kind of needed for the story, remember if you figure out what the names and italics for the chapters all have in common you get a cookie, and ****can get a character, name a chapter or request something to happen. Good Luck and give me feedback.**

**Love Lili-Roze  
**


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